Grade 11 student receives ERCA youth award

The Essex Region Conservation Authority has recognized the region’s very own climate prodigy.

Amid backlash from politicians against Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Tecumseh Vista Academy student Abby Meloche took home the 2020 Essex Region Conservation Authority’s Youth Award.

Meloche views herself as a problem-solver before anything else.

“I think it’s a skill I’ve had from a young age,” said Meloche. “I’m fortunate to have a father who is a math teacher. When he would work with me on different word problems, I noticed I see the world in a different way than most people would.”

Two years ago, Meloche started a school-wide program to address the double-edged problem where some of the economically disadvantaged students were coming to class without proper nutrition, while other students are sent with more than they can eat.

“It’s called the Tecumseh Vista Academy Community Fridge (TVACF),” said Meloche. “There’s a mini fridge in our school cafeteria and anonymously any member of the school community that’s hungry can take food from the fridge, while members of the school community with too much food can go to the fridge and put their extra food in so they’re not creating any food waste.”

Meloche said the program should both help the environment but also benefit students.

Business teacher, Andre Quaglia, assigned Meloche the class project that ultimately led to the TVACF. He chalks-up Abby’s success to her diverse skill set.

“[It was] Abby’s ability to empathize with the needs of others and continually improve her ideas through innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking that made her project a success in the classroom,” said Quaglia.

“I knew Abby’s vision had the potential to be continued when she started to research in detailed ways to successfully implement her idea by developing a business plan and pitching her vision to the school principal.”

Meloche is a member of the Eco-team and her school’s Minister of Environment. In addition to the TVACF, she has initiated a school wide battery drive, community E-waste event, as well as a community cleanup.

As she goes into her second semester of Grade 11, Meloche has hopes of integrating TVACF with some other programs she has been involved in, such as her school’s community garden. This would involve supplying the fridge with some of the garden vegetables after harvesting.

“It’s not in action right now, but it’s one way we could utilize [the vegetable garden],” said Meloche. “The garden does not produce as much as a farm would, but it is a good learning experience for us and if we can get some extra food out of it then we might as well.”